State Senator Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) has recently been appointed by Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle to serve as a member on the Senate Local Sales Tax Collection Study Committee. Sen. Seabaugh will work with a group of eight committee members, consisting of fellow legislators and local officials from across Georgia to examine the tax collection rates of cities and counties.
“As costs are sharply rising throughout the economy, many families and individuals are struggling financially,” Sen. Seabaugh said. “My goal for this study committee is to find ways for local governments to cut costs to taxpayers by allowing them to choose how their taxes are collected.”
Currently under Georgia law, the state revenue commissioner collects local sales and use taxes on behalf of cities and counties, and subsequently charges them one percent of the amount collected, regardless of the total cost of collection. The study committee will look for ways for local governments to individually determine how their taxes will be collected, so that they could be charged a lower rate than the one percent charged by the state.
“Senator Seabaugh will be a valuable asset to the Local Sales Tax Study Committee,” said Lt. Gov. Cagle. “He is dedicated to his constituents and has worked diligently in the Senate. I look forward to learning more about the findings of this study committee.”
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Sen. Seabaugh Appointed to Senate Local Tax Collection Study Committee
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Sen. Seabaugh to chair Senate Task Force on Value Government
State Senator Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) has been appointed by Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle to chair the Senate Task Force on Value Government. The task force will look to determine how state government can provide services in a more effective and efficient manner to Georgia citizens. Ultimately, the panel will find ways to give taxpayers the best value possible in state government.
“We will seek to establish performance standards to know what value Georgians are getting for the tax dollars they pay,” said Sen. Seabaugh. “By establishing these standards, we can increase accountability for the tax dollars we spend and know what programs or services to cut and what to better fund.”
The Task Force plans to work in coordination with the Commission for a New Georgia to make recommendations to the legislature for legislative or budgetary changes to improve service delivery or lower the cost of services.
“It’s important to efficiently and wisely spend the public’s hard-earned dollars, and it’s equally crucial to do so in an open and transparent manner,” added Sen. Seabaugh. “This task force will work to ensure both.”
In addition to his leadership position of Majority Whip, Sen. Seabaugh has served on the Senate Appropriations Committee for six years and has been diligent in challenging appropriated tax dollars. He has been successful in cutting programs and department budgets that were unable to prove their value. Senators Bill Heath (R-Bremen), Judson Hill (R-Marietta) and Ed Tarver (D-Augusta) will also serve on the Task Force on Value Government.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Sen. Seabaugh hosts Page Day at the Capitol
The students who served as pages for the Senate were granted access to the Senate Chamber for the day and were responsible for delivering messages to the Senators on the floor. The pages were also called on to run special errands. They received a certificate, $10 honorarium and enjoyed a “working lunch” with Sen. Seabaugh.
“These are our future leaders of tomorrow,” Sen. Seabaugh said. “Serving in the Senate for a day is an excellent opportunity for them to learn about our government in a way that can’t be learned from textbooks.”
Photo: Sen. Seabaugh and Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, in no particular order, Carey Barronton, Asa Black, Erin Black, Ethan Black, Allie Crain, John Christian Evans, Annie Hass, Meg Jones, Emilee Manning, Christine Mezzatesta, Katie Pecce, Madison Pecce, Alexis Reising, Brittany Scarbrough, Maggie Shiffer, Gabriella Bump, Emileann Smith, Ryan Danford and Shelbie Danford.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Westmoreland: ‘Stimulus’ merely explodes deficit
Oops, rec'd this back on 1/29 and overlooked it somehow...
U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland joined all of the House’s Georgia Republicans to oppose the $150 billion economic “stimulus” package. The measure passed 385-35, with one “present,” and now goes to the Senate, where senators have vowed to tack on even more spending.
“This legislation promises tax rebates, but it’s not a tax rebate when we’re borrowing money from China to write checks to ourselves,” Westmoreland said. “It’s difficult to vote against sending money to people, particularly at a time of economic distress, but sending out checks in a couple of months isn’t going to expand the economy, it’s just going to expand the deficit.
“We need to give businesses incentives to expand and create new jobs. We need to focus on long-term economic growth by making the Bush tax cuts permanent and lowering corporate tax rates to keep our employers competitive in the global marketplace.
“These checks aren’t going to stem the housing crisis, which is at the heart of our economic problems. This is simply a national credit card binge, and as many Americans are discovering these days, the bill eventually comes due and the results aren’t pretty. We are putting the future of our country in the hands of foreigners who buy our debt. It’s scary, it’s reckless and it’s got to stop. What happened today is a step backward from fiscal responsibility, sadly, after we’ve taken significant steps toward reducing the deficit in recent years.”
Sen. Seabaugh welcomes America National Youth of the Year to the Capitol
The Boys and Girls Clubs of America National Youth of the Year program, sponsored by the Reader’s Digest Foundation since 1947, recognizes outstanding contributions to a member’s family, school, community and academic excellence.
As part of the award, Tuttle will receive a $15,000 scholarship from the Reader’s Digest Foundation and he also had the opportunity to meet President George W. Bush.
